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Cream of Cumbria’s food producers to battle it out

Cumbria's top food producers are set battle it out at a county-wide feast of food.

The Cumbria Life Food and Drink Awards will take place on January 25 and will see 39 of the county’s best food venues and producers whittled down to just 12 winners at a glitzy awards bash.

HMP Haverigg’s new social enterprise partnership, running its smokery with the Cumbria Reducing Offending Partnership Trust and Arête Enterprises, has been shortlisted in the best small producer category for its oak and hot-smoked products.

Judges were impressed by the high standard of entries received and, in some cases, were unable to settle on just three finalists for each category.

The Best Café/Tea Shop has four finalists and the two restaurant categories – Cumbria Life Restaurant of the Year and the Judges’ Restaurant of the Year – will both be contested between five finalists.

A bevy of pubs, cafes and restaurants have picked up nominations including The General Burgoyne in Great Urswick, Ulverston; the Samling near Windermere; the Drunken Duck near Ambleside; the Sun Cottage Café in Hawkshead; Porto in Bowness; The Jumble Room in Grasmere; Holbeck Ghyll in Windermere; and L’Enclume at Cartmel.

Chairman of judges, Steven Doherty, who is chef and proprietor of the First Floor Café at Lakeland’s flagship Windermere store, said he was “pleasantly surprised” by the entries.

He said: “What brings it home to me is what a very diverse range of establishments we have here in Cumbria. It’s come an very long way in the last 20 years. To be shortlisted means entrants are near the top of their game and should continue to strive to maintain and improve standards.”